Participatory mapping for transformation: multiple visual representation of foodscapes and environment in informal settlements in Nairobi

Although branded as ‘obstructionists’ and major agents of ‘disease and filth’ by city authorities, food vendors remain the pivotal node in the local food system in most informal settlements; therefore, their interaction with the environment and infrastructure services, and challenges they face to keep the food safe to eat, requires further grounded exploration. Food vendors from informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, who are acting as mappers and change agents, are building multi-layered views of places through the deliberative process of knowledge coproduction by participatory sensing, which lead to opportunities and challenges to improve those places

USE OF NATURAL PRODUCTS AND CULTURAL PRACTICES IN THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF GRAPEVINE PESTS

Chapter 1. The use of synthetic insecticides for pest management can affect health and environment. In integrated pest management (IPM) their substitution with natural substances and the adoption of alternatives to chemical control is desirable. In this PhD dissertation, we considered the effect of natural compounds and cultural practices on some grapevine pests and their side effects on natural enemies. Chapter 2. The influence of kaolin and bunch-zone leaf removal (LR) on the grapevine leafhoppers, Empoasca vitis (G\uf6the) and Zygina rhamni Ferrari, and their egg parasitoids (Anagrus spp.) was tested in vineyards. The mode of action of kaolin on E. vitis nymphs was also studied in the lab. Kaolin applications reduced the populations of E. vitis and Z. rhamni nymphs and E. vitis leaf symptoms without impact on Anagrus spp. LR did not affect leafhopper populations. Feeding inhibition was the main mode of action of kaolin. Chapter 3. Field trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of some natural products in comparison with natural pyrethrins against the grapevine leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball. Kaolin was evaluated against S. titanus nymphs also in the lab. In all field trials, kaolin had an efficacy against S. titanus nymphs comparable to or greater than natural pyrethrins while the other products were not effective. Lab results confirmed that kaolin increases nymph mortality. Chapter 4. The activity of kaolin on the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Den. & Schiff.) was investigated in lab and field bioassays. In vineyards the efficacy of kaolin and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (BT), in combination or not with LR was assessed. In the lab, kaolin reduced female egg laying, fecundity and survival, hatching rate of eggs and larval settlement. In field bioassay, kaolin reduced female egg laying. In the field trials, kaolin, BT and LR reduced significantly L. botrana infestation. When the products were combined with LR, their efficacy increased and kaolin was not significantly different from BT. Chapter 5. The activity of sulfur dust (SD) on L. botrana was investigated in the lab and two trials were carried out in vineyards to compare the efficacy of SD with that of kaolin and BT. In the first trial, each treatment was in combination or not with LR. In the lab bioassays SD reduced both egg laying and larval settlement. In both trials, SD caused a significant decrease in the number of L. botrana larval nests and of damaged berries with an efficacy not different from both BT and kaolin. LR did not significantly reduce L. botrana infestation. Chapter 6. The efficacy of kaolin and citrus essential oil (CEO) was evaluated against mealybugs. Lab experiments and field trials were conducted in New Zealand on Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) and Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), and in Italy on Planococcus ficus (Signoret). Kaolin was ineffective at controlling mealybugs in vineyards. In contrast, CEO increased mealybug mortality in the lab and reduced infestation in vineyards. Chapter 7. The effect of kaolin and LR on the phytoseiid predators Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans) and Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten was assessed in vineyards. In the lab, kaolin impact on adult females was also studied. In the field, kaolin and LR reduced K. aberrans and T. pyri populations which however recovered during the winter and next spring. In the lab, kaolin reduced female fecundity but not survival. Chapter 8. The impact of kaolin and LR on spiders and on some generalist predatory insects was assessed in vineyards. Kaolin and LR did not affect species richness and functional diversity. Kaolin reduced the abundance of the hunter spiders Oxypidae and Salticidae, the web-builder spiders Araneidae and the predatory insects Orius sp., but increased the abundance of Coccinellidae Scymninae. LR increased the number of Aeolothrips sp. These effects were not consistent in all trials.Chapter 1. The use of synthetic insecticides for pest management can affect health and environment. In integrated pest management (IPM) their substitution with natural substances and the adoption of alternatives to chemical control is desirable. In this PhD dissertation, we considered the effect of natural compounds and cultural practices on some grapevine pests and their side effects on natural enemies. Chapter 2. The influence of kaolin and bunch-zone leaf removal (LR) on the grapevine leafhoppers, Empoasca vitis (G\uf6the) and Zygina rhamni Ferrari, and their egg parasitoids (Anagrus spp.) was tested in vineyards. The mode of action of kaolin on E. vitis nymphs was also studied in the lab. Kaolin applications reduced the populations of E. vitis and Z. rhamni nymphs and E. vitis leaf symptoms without impact on Anagrus spp. LR did not affect leafhopper populations. Feeding inhibition was the main mode of action of kaolin. Chapter 3. Field trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of some natural products in comparison with natural pyrethrins against the grapevine leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball. Kaolin was evaluated against S. titanus nymphs also in the lab. In all field trials, kaolin had an efficacy against S. titanus nymphs comparable to or greater than natural pyrethrins while the other products were not effective. Lab results confirmed that kaolin increases nymph mortality. Chapter 4. The activity of kaolin on the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Den. & Schiff.) was investigated in lab and field bioassays. In vineyards the efficacy of kaolin and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (BT), in combination or not with LR was assessed. In the lab, kaolin reduced female egg laying, fecundity and survival, hatching rate of eggs and larval settlement. In field bioassay, kaolin reduced female egg laying. In the field trials, kaolin, BT and LR reduced significantly L. botrana infestation. When the products were combined with LR, their efficacy increased and kaolin was not significantly different from BT. Chapter 5. The activity of sulfur dust (SD) on L. botrana was investigated in the lab and two trials were carried out in vineyards to compare the efficacy of SD with that of kaolin and BT. In the first trial, each treatment was in combination or not with LR. In the lab bioassays SD reduced both egg laying and larval settlement. In both trials, SD caused a significant decrease in the number of L. botrana larval nests and of damaged berries with an efficacy not different from both BT and kaolin. LR did not significantly reduce L. botrana infestation. Chapter 6. The efficacy of kaolin and citrus essential oil (CEO) was evaluated against mealybugs. Lab experiments and field trials were conducted in New Zealand on Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) and Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), and in Italy on Planococcus ficus (Signoret). Kaolin was ineffective at controlling mealybugs in vineyards. In contrast, CEO increased mealybug mortality in the lab and reduced infestation in vineyards. Chapter 7. The effect of kaolin and LR on the phytoseiid predators Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans) and Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten was assessed in vineyards. In the lab, kaolin impact on adult females was also studied. In the field, kaolin and LR reduced K. aberrans and T. pyri populations which however recovered during the winter and next spring. In the lab, kaolin reduced female fecundity but not survival. Chapter 8. The impact of kaolin and LR on spiders and on some generalist predatory insects was assessed in vineyards. Kaolin and LR did not affect species richness and functional diversity. Kaolin reduced the abundance of the hunter spiders Oxypidae and Salticidae, the web-builder spiders Araneidae and the predatory insects Orius sp., but increased the abundance of Coccinellidae Scymninae. LR increased the number of Aeolothrips sp. These effects were not consistent in all trials

Molecular and functional aspects of antimalarial drug resistance in isolates from Africa and Asia

Malariakontrolle ist von Resistenzen gegen Malariamedikamente wie Chloroquin (CQ) und Artemisininderivaten (ART) bedroht. Hier untersuchten wir das Ausmaß dieser Resistenzen in Fünf Feldstudien in Nigeria, Ruanda und Südwestindien unter Beurteilung der Prävalenzen Arzneimittelresistenz-assoziierter Mutation der Plasmodium-Parasiten (P. falciparum: K13, dhps, dhfr, mdr1 und P. vivax: mdr1) z.T. in Korrelation mit klinischen Patientendaten und ex-vivo Überlebensraten (ÜLR) unter Zugabe von ART. K13 wurde in 360 zwischen 2010-2018 gesammelte ruandischen P. falciparum Isolaten genotypisiert. Erstmals fanden wir dort niedrige Frequenzen der mit ART-Resistenz assoziierten K13-Mutation. Jedoch lassen Mutation mit niedrigen ÜLR, sowie ein Isolat mit hohen ÜLR aber ohne K13-Mutation eines Patienten der die Infektion unter Therapie nicht eliminieren konnte, Fragen offen. Ca.100 indische P. falciparum und P. vivax Isolaten aus 2015 wurden auf Mutationen in P. falciparum Markern für die Resistenz gegen Sulfadoxin-Pyrimethamin (SP) (d.h. pfdhps/pfdhfr), Artesunat (AS) (d.h. K13) und Lumefantrin (d.h. pfmdr1) sowie P. vivax Marker für CQ-Resistenz (pvmdr1) untersucht. Der Großteil der Isolate zeigt Mutationen die SP-Resistenz hervorrufen, daher könnte die Effizienz der AS+SP-Therapie begrenzen sein. Außerdem eignet sich Lumefantrin nicht als alternatives Medikament auf Grund der beobachteten Dominanz des pfmdr1-Haplotyps „NFD“. Die Abwesenheit der pvmdr1-Mutation Y976F und erfolgreiche Behandlungen zeigen, die Wirksamkeit von CQ gegen vivax Malaria im Studiengebiet. Auch Isolate von nigerianischen Schwangeren mit asymptomatischer P. falciparum Infektion zeigten hohe Prävalenzen von pfdhfr/pfdhps Vier- und Fünffachmutanten darum ist die Wirksamkeit der präventiver Therapie Schwangerer mit SP in Nigeria ernsthaft gefährdet. Die Daten spiegeln die Häufigkeit der Resistenzen gegen Malariamittel in diesen Gebieten wieder mit großen Unterschieden zwischen Regionen und Medikamenten.The spread of resistance to antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine (CQ) and artemisinins (ART) is a great threat to malaria control. Here, we investigated the extent of such resistance in Nigeria, Rwanda and south-western India. We assessed the prevalence of mutations in few Plasmodium parasites’ markers of resistance, namely P. falciparum genes K13 (ART), pfdhps/pfdhfr (sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, SP) and pfmdr1 (lumefantrine) as well as P. vivax gene pvmdr1 (CQ) in 5 field studies conducted in 2010-2018, and partially correlated the results to patients’ clinical outcome. Few isolates from Rwanda, were also evaluated for their parasite ex vivo survival rates (SR) upon exposure to ART. We tracked ART resistance in Rwanda by genotyping K13 in 360 P. falciparum isolates from 2010-2018. We showed for the first time that K13 mutations associated with ART resistance are present here, thus in Africa, at a low frequency. However, mutations occurred in patients who recovered and/or had low SR. Of note, one patient with high SR but no K13 mutation was still parasitemic after ART treatment. Moreover, we assessed the presence of mutations in K13, pfdhps/pfdhfr, pfmdr1 and pvmdr1 in ca 100 P. falciparum and 100 P. vivax isolates from south-western India. Most of P. falciparum isolates carried pfdhfr/pfdhps mutations conferring SP resistance, menacing the efficacy of SP-ART treatment. Also, the high prevalence of pfmdr1 haplotype “NFD” advised against the introduction of lumefantrine. The low rates of P. vivax pvmdr1 Y976F and patients’ successful parasite clearance, indicated that CQ remains effective in the area. Finally, a high rate of pfdhfr/pfdhps quadruple and quintuple mutant was observed in Nigerian pregnant women with asymptomatic P. falciparum infection, hence the effectiveness of preventive treatment with SP in pregnancy might be threatened. The data reflected the abundance of antimalarials resistance in these areas with important differences between regions and drugs

Side effects of sulfur dust on the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana and the predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans in vineyards

To reduce the impact of synthetic insecticides on human health and the environment, eco-friendly alternatives must be investigated. Knowledge of the side effects on pests and natural enemies of natural products applied to vineyards is very useful. Sulfur dust, which is used in vineyards to control powdery mildew, is investigated in laboratory and field bioassays for its effects on Lobesia botrana egg laying, egg hatching, and larval settlement. In field trials, the efficacy of sulfur dust against the two L. botrana carpophagous generations is compared with that of Bacillus thuringiensis and kaolin, and its side effects on the phytoseiid mite Kampimodromus aberrans are evaluated. In the bioassays, sulfur dust reduced female survival by 43%, egg laying by around 80%, egg hatching by 10%, and larval settlement by 55%. In field trials, sulfur dust caused a significant decrease in the number of L. botrana larval nests of both generations, even though the efficacy was lower than that of B. thuringiensis. No negative effects of sulfur dust on the predatory mite population density was observed. On the basis of these results, in the context of Integrated Pest Management strategies in vineyards, the activity of sulfur dust against L. botrana could be exploited by timing its application to the beginning of egg laying

Health Impacts of Catastrophic Climate Change: Expert Workshop. Avoid Dangerous Climate Change (AVOID)

Climate change is likely to have serious and significant impacts on human population health. The mechanisms by which climate change may affect health are becoming better understood. Current quantitative methods of estimating future health impacts rely on disease-specific models that primarily describe relationships between mean values of weather variables and health outcomes and do not address the impacts of extreme events or weather disasters. Extreme events have the potential to disrupt community function, which is of concern for decision-makers. Estimating the magnitude and extent of impacts from low probability high impact events is challenging because there is often no analogue that can provide relevant evidence and that take into account the complexity of factors determining future vulnerability and health impacts (the social determinants of health)

Climate-influenced migration in Bangladesh: the need for a policy realignment

Recent research into migration in Bangladesh has highlighted that people migrate for better livelihoods, not necessarily in response to climatic stresses and shocks. If facilitated appropriately, internal and international migration can help build adaptive capacity to future environmental and climatic hazards. In this framing, migration happens in the context of a growing city-centred economy that promotes remittances to villages. However, a textual analysis of current and recent policies concerning climate change, development and poverty alleviation, and disaster management shows that the economic and adaptive roles of internal migration are often not included in policy framing. We argue that if migration works as a positive step towards adaptation, then the key challenge is to align the policies with this new understanding

Side Effects of Kaolin and Bunch-Zone Leaf Removal on Generalist Predators in Vineyards

In vineyards, kaolin application and bunch-zone leaf removal (LR) were effective in the control of leafhoppers and Lobesia botrana, but their side effects on generalist predators are still poorly understood. In north-eastern Italian vineyards, the impact of kaolin and LR on species and functional diversity of spiders, as well as the abundance of spiders and generalist predatory insects, was assessed in one vineyard for two consecutive years and in two vineyards for one year. The ecological indices of the spider community were never influenced by kaolin and only in one case were they influenced by LR. At the spider family level, kaolin reduced the abundance of Araneidae, Oxypidae and Salticidae, but only in single cases. In single cases, kaolin reduced the amount of Orius sp. anthocorids and increased that of Scymninae coccinellids, whereas LR increased the amount of Aeolothrips sp. The moderate use of kaolin and the application of LR had negligible and inconsistent impacts on generalist predatory arthropods in vineyards and were therefore, compatible with IPM strategies